Call to Action: February 23, 2018

Several unqualified, extreme-right judicial nominees won Senate committee approval and may receive confirmation votes any time. We must oppose them.

Appellate court nominees Michael Brennan and Oregon’s Ryan Bounds are opposed by home-state senators.

• Brennan believes that judges don’t have to follow legal precedent.
• Brennan also refused to acknowledge that our criminal justice system shows racial bias.

• Bounds wrote a string of bigoted articles in early/mid-90s as opinion editor of the Stanford student paper.
• Bounds repeatedly mocked multiculturalism, derided student support for union organizing and called sensitivity to racial and LGBTQ issues a “pestilence.” 
• Bounds also argued that Stanford could not prevent future rapes by an accused student, and that the accused should be protected from “egregious error” in a university hearing.

District court nominee Howard Nielson:
• representing the NRA, has argued cases opposing bans on semiautomatic rifles and large capacity magazines, promoting handgun purchases for people under 21 and arguing for public carry of firearms by people ages 18 to 20.
• was involved in writing the Bush-era “torture memos.” 
• believes that gay judges should not hear LGBTQ cases.

Protect Our Courts!

No Extremist Judges!

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**ACTION 1: Call Senators Merkley and Wyden**
(Leave a message if you can’t get through.)

SAMPLE SCRIPT:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent and voter from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my concern about Howard Nielson, Ryan Bounds, and Michael Brennan, three lifetime judicial nominees who oppose equality and have a history of disregard for the rule of law. I want to thank Senator [—] for opposing Ryan Bounds via the blue slip process, and for voting against all three nominees in committee. I am calling to urge the Senator to do everything possible to stop these nominations from coming to a vote, and to defeating them if they reach the Senate floor. Thank you.”

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**ACTION 2: CALL, TEXT, AND EMAIL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO DO THE SAME. “SHARE” OR COPY / PASTE THIS ACTION!**

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SENATOR MERKLEY 
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/

SENATOR WYDEN 
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/